Michael Lugiano talks about the U.S. Amateur at Merion, playing the course for the 1st time & more

Alright, Garrett Thompson here at the Marion Golf Club in Monterey, Louisiana. Your second United States Amateur with Marion. A historic place. How are you feeling? I feel great. Definitely excited to be here. Obviously a historic venue and I'm looking forward to having a good weekend. What is your initial impression? I know you're from Pennsylvania, so I'd imagine you've played here a few times. Actually my first time. I know a few members out here and I have the connections, but it's been a busy summer, busy last couple of years, so I haven't really made the time to come out here. But, yeah, it's amazing. Did you play a practice round earlier in the week? I did. I played yesterday. Of course, it's gorgeous. It's obviously very difficult. It lives up to the hype, though. What about it really sticks out? For fans at home who have never been to Marion, what would you say? The rough is what you expect it to be. It's what everybody hyped it up to be. If you're in the rough, you're going to get bent a lot. Other than that, I think it's just the scenic aspect of it. I think every T-Ball and every view you look at out here is different and unique, and it's true. Speaking of beauty, what jumps out from the history of this store? You've got No. 11, where Bobby Jones played the Grand Slam in 1930. You've got so many things to choose from. No. 18, Ben Hogan. What jumps out to you? It's got to be Ben Hogan on 18. It's unbelievable. 18 is right behind us, by the way. Playing that hole yesterday and thinking about what he did there, it's a crazy accomplishment. Distance-wise, were you hitting a wedge in or something? Not a wedge. I think I had a 5-iron in yesterday. Definitely not an easy hole by any means. Who's going to categorize you? I'll have my brother on the bag. He'll be in the next one. That'll be fun to have. Is he on the bag often, and what does he bring to it? Actually, he's not on the bag often. He was on the bag for me at Oakland Hills two years ago in the U.S. Junior, and we made a match. Other than that, he's pretty busy himself. He's now working. He's a busy man. He's four years older than me. He graduated from college. It's nice to get him out when I can because we have a good relationship with each other. I think we're able to discuss things well out there and have success together. It's nice when he's available to pick at it for me. When you say discussion things well, does it not necessarily always be agreeable, but just come up to the right solution? Definitely be able to come to a verdict together about where the shot needs to be hit or how hard the spot needs to be played. It could just be simple stuff like that, but that simple stuff is sometimes more important. Michael, what is it about this game that you're most excited about? I really just think the competition and the field. I'm playing against 311 of the other top amateur golfers in the world, so it's a good opportunity to see where my game stands against them and see if I can have success and make a little run at it. What gives you confidence right now? Lately, it's really been the mid-iron game. The iron has been going really well lately. Usually, for me, it's the e-ball, which is very important on this golf course. I think the iron game has been solid for me lately, so I think I'll be able to lean on that this year. Thank you, Michael. Appreciate your time. Thank you very much.